


Some Saints from Another Time

by Bella_Monoxide



Series: The Little Things... in the Apocalypse [7]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Carl is older than in the series, Fluff, Judith is two years old, M/M, Prison setting, They never left
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-29 22:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3913246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bella_Monoxide/pseuds/Bella_Monoxide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The DVD night.</p>
          </blockquote>





	1. Just the Two of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The DVD night.

During the next couple of days, everyone was concerned about Carl, who had made it through that first night well enough, but was still at risk of catching an infection. He needed rest, so his concussion would pass. Rick was not too well himself, after all the blood he had donated, and he was absentmindly a lot on top of that.

Daryl helped shoulder some of Rick's chores and went out to hunt a lot, taking Zach with him, leaving Rick to wonder about the bond that had formed between the hunter and his son's friend. Rick had noticed Daryl's behaviour towards himself had changed after that last run. He seemed more distant, almost as if he was observing Rick, waiting for something, but Rick could not make out what that might possibly be.

In the meantime, he had worked in secret on a string for the pendant he wanted to give to Daryl. Some of the women had taken up various forms of crafting, trying to produce stuff that was needed around the prison by themselves.

But they also did things just to boost their spirits, and one of those was making their own jewellery, such as it were. They only had limited equipment at their disposal, since that sort of thing was not first on their lists during runs. Rick had asked Heather to teach him how to do macramé, and not to tell anyone about it.

After some colourful cursing, detangling and trying to learn how to do different kinds of knots that were needed for the technique, he was doing reasonably well and had begun to work on the necklace for Daryl.

After some time, when Carl was close enough to being healthy again, he and Zach started thinking about a way to power the DVD player and TV long enough for Rick and Daryl to watch a movie together. It took them a while, but with Zach's know how they got it done eventually.

Rick got excited when they told him they were ready and asked them to help him rig all the stuff he would need in a room only few people knew about. They tried to make it a little more comfortable, too, putting mattresses and blankets in for lack of a sofa, so Rick and Daryl would not have to sit on the bare floor.

While Carl and Zach set everything up, Rick noticed how familiar they were with each other, touching a lot and knowing each other well, smiling at one another all the time. Well, Rick thought, they seem to have become real close. He was happy for Carl to have managed to make friends in times like these.

Rick, who had carried the by now finished necklace around in his pocket for the last couple of days, hoped that the DVD night would be the opportunity for him to give his gift to Daryl. After dinner that evening, Rick asked Daryl if he had a minute, and they went outside to talk.

"What's up, Rick," Daryl said, thinking it most likely had to do with their next run or a similar subject that concerned the whole group.

"Well," Rick answered, "Carl suggested that we should do something fun together for once, and I agree." Daryl looked at Rick like he had lost his mind all out of a sudden, and Rick laughed. "Yeah, when he said that to me, I didn't know what he was talking about, either."

Standing together like this, just the two of them, Rick felt the urge to touch Daryl, who was smiling his signature half smile at him right now, and that smile turned to full blown for a couple of seconds as Rick touched his arm now.

"What do you have in mind, Rick," Daryl asked him curiously, "I mean, it's not like we can go for dinner and a movie, right?" Here, Daryl's expression turned furtive, as if he were waiting for Rick to pick up on something significant – but it was gone before it could register with Rick, who looked back at Daryl in wonder.

"How did you guess? Did Zach say something to you on one of your hunts?"

Now it was Daryl's turn to look stunned. "What? You tellin' me you found a restaurant around here somewhere?" Daryl asked, bewildered.

"No, Dare," Rick answered, smiling at him with his blue eyes twinkling, "but we will take our dinner and eat it while watching a DVD. Zach and Carl helped me with the preparations, and it's all set. What do you say?" And he looked at Daryl, suddenly unsure of what the hunter would answer.

Daryl looked a little dazed, but Rick did not think too much about that, waiting anxiously for his answer. "Well," Daryl said, "that sounds too good to be true. Where did you get the DVD?"

"Oh, on the same run where I found the unicorns." Rick answered, looking at Daryl questioningly. "Speaking of which, do you still have it? Judith is still content with her own, didn't 'borrow' yours, I hope?" He airquoted the word, smiling at Daryl, who felt like he might just be on the brink of saying something rather inappropriate at this point into their conversation.

He cleared his throat, then answered, hoping against hope that Rick would not notice his untruthfulness. "Yeah," he said, blushing slightly, "I still have it in my cell." He felt like his pocket lit up while he said it.

Oh, fuck me, he thought. There goes the ole saying again, about that darn liar with his pants on fire, and he rolled his eyes at himself inwardly. Thankfully, Rick seemed to be content with the information he got, not noticing anything off with the hunter who stood in front of him, trying real hard not to touch his pocket right now in order to not give himself away as the guy who walked around with a little plush unicorn hidden in his clothes.

But Rick had taken to look at his own shoes by then, asking Daryl "how about tomorrow evening then, I have watch later on, but we should have enough time beforehand."

"The midnight watch, right?" Daryl asked him, and Rick nodded. "K then, I will meet you at dinner tomorrow evening." He agreed, and it was settled.

* * *

Later on that night, when Rick and Daryl both happened to be sitting in the common area with other members of their group, Rick talked to Heather for a few minutes, and Daryl noticed how familiar they behaved around each other.

His face clouded over, and he tried to look anywhere but at Rick and that woman, but it was no use. Like transfixed, he watched their exchange, unable to concentrate on anything else, since he had noticed Rick getting together with this particular woman a few times during Carl's healing.

While it was true that Rick had had dealings with some of the other women as well, Daryl was more worried about this one. Feeling sad, he made to get up with the intention of walking outside, but felt somebody sitting down next to him. Looking to the side, he saw it was Zach, an expression of sympathy on his face.

"Daryl," he said, "I'm sure it is nothing."

"I dunno whatcha talking about, Zach." Daryl mumbled, unwilling to admit anything.

But Zach was being persistent. "You should see the way Rick looks at you when you don't notice," he added very quietly, casting his eyes down. "That's how I first noticed, you know?"

Daryl looked at him, taken aback. "Zach," he started, unsure of how to continue.

"Yeah?" The teen looked at him, waiting.

"I'm sure you mean well, but I need to get outta here for a moment, a'ight?" Zach nodded, and Daryl got up. When he was nearly past Zach on his way out, he mumbled a thank you so low that only Zach could hear it. But it was enough to make him smile.

* * *

The next evening found both Rick and Daryl in a good mood, though they felt slightly nervous. Rick feared that something might go wrong technic wise, while Daryl was anxious that he might accidentally give his feelings away.

They met in the eating area to get their dinners, then Rick told Daryl to follow him, and walked towards that room he, Zach and Carl had rigged for the occasion. Sitting down on the makeshift sofa, Daryl looked impressed. "You really turned this place around."

Rick looked a little distracted, as he was trying to get everything started, but was pleased nontheless. "Yeah, but without those boys, I couldn't have pulled it off." Daryl muttered something under his breath, and Rick had finally gotten the DVD going. He went to sit down next to Daryl, who looked at the screen with huge eyes, gaping.

Rick chuckled, and stated "I tried to get something you would like, and I remembered that you mentioned this one once. Please don't tell me you were kidding then?"

Daryl shook his head, then he began to smile. "No, I really like this one." Looking at Rick, he continued "You did well, Rick. Thank you."

"You're welcome, I'm happy that you like it," answered Rick while the start credits began to roll, underlaid with a catchy tune that was forever connected to this particular movie. Or had been, before the world went to shit.

Daryl sighed. "I have watched this movie quite a few times. Never got all that religious stuff, though." Rick watched intently, and Daryl thought it was because he did not know the movie yet, but after a while he asked "Daryl?"

"Yeah?" The hunter answered, looking over at Rick.

"Are you sure you haven't been an actor before the apocalypse and only forgotten to mention it to us?!" Rick pointed at one of the brothers on the screen, who looked a lot like Daryl.

Groaning, he said "Not you, too! I got so much shit back then, because people insisted that I look like this guy!"

"Well," Rick said, laughing, "you kinda do." He just got a kick out of the situation, because Daryl was really letting himself go, relaxing just this once, right in the middle of this world they had to try and live in now.

They watched the movie until the end, then Rick switched it off. Sometime during the film, Daryl had pulled a flask out of one of his many pockets, muttering something about making up for the failed try when he had been sick, and they had drunk from it a couple times.

Now, Rick felt pleasantly relaxed, and they both were laid out on the mattresses, looking into the distance, each with arms crossed behind his head. "Daryl?" Rick said after a bout of comfortable silence.

"Hm?" Came the rumbled reply.

"You ever wanted to get away from your hometown, I mean, like going to the coast or something?"

"Are you asking me about my dreams in life, Grimes?" Daryl said, and Rick could practically hear him roll his eyes at that.

"Yeah," he admitted, not giving up that easily, "I guess I am." While Daryl huffed, Rick plowed on. "I always wanted to see Vegas, play the tables for a night."

Daryl sighed inwardly, since this conjured up some interesting images in his mind's eye. Thinking about Rick in a tux, sitting at a roulette table, did not help his concentration much. Throwing a bit of his caution to the wind, he asked "You even owned a tux, like, ever?"

He was rewarded with the bubbling laughter of Rick, who turned his head, moving his body somewhat to lay on his side, facing Daryl. "Nope. Didn't even wear one when Lori and I married. You ever wore one?" He asked right back, and Daryl blushed. "No." Was the curt answer.

"Daryl," Rick said, putting a comforting hand on the hunter's arm, "I'm sure that stuff is overrated." When Daryl's expression lit up a bit, Rick smiled. "Though," he added, "I just know you would have looked great wearing it."

Daryl blushed at that. He grabbed for the bottle again and took another swig, handing it over to Rick, who sipped from it as well, while Daryl's head hit the pillows again. He closed his eyes, just to relax for another second, while Rick watched how Daryl's facial expression changed as he fell asleep.

Soon after, Rick followed him into dreamland, his head buried in the juncture where Daryl's arm joined his shoulder.

* * *

Meanwhile, members of their group had begun to wonder about their leader's whereabouts, since nobody seemed to have seen either Rick nor Daryl for a while. Given the times they were living in, worrying had become second nature to everyone within their group.

Of course, both Carl and Zach knew where the two leaders were, but they could not very well tell the other group members. Plus, Zach wanted to give them as much time as possible, hoping for Rick to finally take a step closer to Daryl, especially after that scene he witnessed last evening, where Daryl got so sad about Rick's encounter with one of the women.

For Zach, that had been heartbreaking, because he was so sure that deep down, those two were meant for each other.

Carl tried to pacify people, carrying his sister around in his arms when she got tired of walking.

Zach had been working on a car with Beth, and was now sitting in a corner with her, talking about theoretical car stuff, but he was beginning to get restless. Looking over at Carl, they had a silent conversation, and, not for the first time, Beth had an inkling that those two might have some hidden agenda.

Finally, Carl said to anybody who happend to sit close enough to hear, he would be going to get both his dad and Daryl now, and he turned around to do just that, casting a last look over to Zach, who nodded at him in agreement.

When Carl arrived at that room his dad and Daryl were in, he opened the door just a tiny crack, peeking inside. Judith got impatient, wriggling in his arms, trying to look inside as well. Realising that Rick and Daryl were asleep, Carl opened the door properly, so Judith could see them as well.

Happy to have found them, she made little noises, and babbled "Dare, Dada!"

Carl smiled as Daryl and Rick slowly woke from their slumber, and he walked into the room with Judith. Noticing that they were all tangled up into each other, Daryl looked at Rick, wondering if he might say something, when he heard Judith clap her little hands, exclaiming "Dada, kiss! Dare!" As she tried to wriggle out of Carl's arms.

Looking at Carl over Rick's shoulder, Daryl nodded imperceptibly. He lifted his hand up, touched Rick's neck cautiously, tangling his fingers into those soft curls of his and pulled him closer, all the while looking deep into Rick's eyes, that stared back at him in wonder.

Touching his lips to Rick's ever so softly, Daryl closed his eyes and sighed, deepening the kiss somewhat as soon as he felt Rick responding to him. After what seemed like a lifetime, he pulled back to look at Rick again – and he could practically see the gears beginnig to turn behind his forehead as his expression turned from relaxed to alarmed in a matter of seconds.

Turning around, he looked at his son, apparently horrified that he had witnessed his dad being kissed by another man. But Carl looked oddly pleased, in fact, he was beaming at them, while Judith crawled over, trying to get to Daryl. "Carl, I..." Rick started to try and explain, but he could not find the words.

His son shook his head and rolled his eyes big time, saying "Dad. It's cool, alright?"

Rick's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at that, and he managed to say "What do you mean by that, Carl?"

"Well," his son answered, "we suspected for a while that you two are into each other. So we tried to help things along a bit." Rick looked even more confused and only managed to ask who those omnious people were.

"Me and Zach, dad. By the way – I only dropped by to tell you that people are worried because you two have seemingly dropped from the edge of the world, so it might be a good idea to come back soon. Don't you have watch, dad?" Rick only managed a tentative yes to that.

"Right," Carl carried on, "I'll go back to Zach then, he will be so excited to hear the news!" And with that, he turned around and went back, knowing that his sister was in the best of hands, snuggled up to Daryl.

Shaking his head as if trying to equalise pressure underwater, Rick looked kinda lost. Daryl put his hand on Rick's arm to get his attention. "Rick," he said, sounding a tad insecure.

"Yeah?" Rick answered, looking at Daryl in wonder. "I just want you to know that it's true, for me at least. I am into you, and I want us to be together."

"Daryl, I..." Was all Rick managed, but Daryl nodded his head in understanding. "I know. It is a bit much, huh? But maybe you can think it over during watch?"

Suddenly sitting a little straighter, Rick asked Daryl "What did Carl mean, he and Zach?"

"Rick..." Daryl rolled his eyes, and Rick tried to protest, but Daryl was having none of it. "They are together. It's probably not my place to reveal that, but enough is enough. Carl has grown into an extraordinary young man, and he fell in love. Why do you think Zach flipped like that as soon as he heard of Carl's accident?"

The realisation dawning across Rick's face was almost comical to watch. Soon after, he buried his face in his hands, groaning. Daryl let him be, cuddling Judith, and after a while, Rick looked up again. "Is that the reason Zach helped me with that CD and stuff? To, like, get into my good graces??" He asked Daryl, a look of disbelief on his face.

"He did? Help you getting that CD for me, I mean?" Daryl asked. When Rick nodded, he continued "Yeah, I guess so. Zach is very hesitant with their relationship, since he is highly aware of their age difference, you know?" Daryl explained rather matter-of-factly.

Shaking his head in wonder, Rick got up. "I'll go to pacify the group and to take watch now, and I can promise you that I will think about all this while I'm up there in that watchtower." Daryl smiled at that reference to the song, and nodded at Rick, hoping for the best.

"I'll see you afterwards in the common area, then?" He suggested, and Rick nodded, smiling down at the hunter, who held his daughter in his arms, keeping her safe.


	2. It's Now or Never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick reminiscence about his relationship with Daryl and has some awkward insights along the way.

Walking back towards their common area, Rick thought about the events of the evening in wonder. When he arrived, he looked over the gathered group members, searching for his son, and found him sitting pressed close to Zach, talking to him in hushed tones, both of them obviously excited.

Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head, then nodded to the people that happened to look in his direction and walked out of the prison to go and release Glenn from watch duty. The Korean looked at him, then said "Did something happen, Rick? I can't put my finger on it, but you look different somehow."

"I dunno, Glenn. Maybe. I need time to think." Rick answered, seating himself in the chair they had up the tower.

"Ok," Glenn said, turning to go, "have a good watch, and I'll see you in the morning."

"Righ, Glenn, goodnight." Rick called after him.

Finally alone, he let his thoughts wander for a while, looking out into the night. Amused, he thought about the incident with the reading glasses, and how difficult it had been to get Daryl to use them.

Nowadays he even wore them in the common area, reading to Judith there, and Rick realised that they had come a long way since then.

All the things he had done for the hunter came rushing back to him, and he thought about the picture Judith had drawn, how it had brought Daryl to his cell during the night and made them realise that they had trouble going to sleep if they were mad at each other, even though they did not explicitly admit to that.

Which reminded him of how comfortable they were with each other in general, and of all the small things that he liked about the hunter. How they could be silent for a longer stretch of time, never feeling uncomfortable, and how Daryl's minimalistic ways of expressing himself and his thoughts seemed so adorable to Rick, like his low sounding, rumbling grunts, for example.

Gawd, Rick thought, closing his eyes briefly, I sound like a goddamned lovesick teenager. Well. That is one way of putting it, he thought, shaking his head.

Trying to move on in his thinking process, the day when Daryl did not make it back from his hunt came crushing into his memory, and he shuddered. But it made him realise that he had been thinking about Daryl a lot, missed him, and even gone after him when he did not return like he said he would, even though their chances of finding him were so slim.

Luckily, they had found him and brought him back, wounded. Remembering how that had made him feel, when he sat beside Daryl's bed at night, checking on him every so often, Rick had the fleeting thought that there might have been more to his feelings than just brotherly love back then, but it was gone again before he could grasp it.

He had even held Daryl's hand, and at some point crawled into bed with him. Now he thought back to how comfortable he had felt doing that, and that he had slept real peaceful the few hours he caught that night, curled up into Daryl's side.

Rick shook his head. Does this all really mean something, he asked himself – only to realise that he had been asking himself this quite a few times since that night. And the hunter always had Rick's back, no matter if in a fight or a discussion, he was loyal to him and protected him somewhat fiercely.

But not only himself, Rick thought, he also did everything for his kids, cared for them as if they were his own. Judith adored him, and the hunter had build a bond with Carl that was apparent to everyone. He even included Zach, once he had realised that him and Carl had some sort of special relationship.

Rick shook his head again. He felt like the worst parent ever, not noticing the changes in his son himself. But again, Daryl had somehow taken over for him, been there for both Carl and his, well, Rick thought, I might as well start calling him that, boyfriend.

There, I thought it. Now what? A deep sigh escaped his throat, and he buried his face in his hands for some time. Oh man, he thought, Zach even blabbed, calling me pretty – me, a guy. And I never saw anything of all that.

Remembering the tense moment between Daryl and himself in this very watchtower, Rick tried to grasp what had happened between them that day, but he could not figure it out. The only thing he remembered about it was total confusion on his part, whereas Daryl had appeared to be waiting for something, but Rick had no inkling as to what that might have been.

All the little things he had done for the hunter, trying to be kind and make his life during these dreary times a little more comfortable for him, came rushing back, and how Daryl had become more and more touchy-feely over time, hugging him or just touching his arm or shoulder every so often. How he did not flinch anymore when Rick touched him, either.

When Hershel and Carol had told him about Daryl acting weird, he had rushed to be at his side without asking any further questions. His sole feeling had been concern for the hunter's wellbeing.

Then, the ambiguity with which Daryl had acted that night, induced by that weird mix of pain meds and alcohol, had Rick blushing as he remembered how Daryl had called him pretty.

Why did I not notice that he had really meant that, he thought. Just because I assumed that he was too far gone on those drugs to know what he was saying? Or did I try to find the easy way out instead of taking Daryl seriously, Rick racked his brains.

I did not even realise how hurt I felt when he threw that little unicorn back into my lap, never admitted my own feelings to myself. I held his hand again during that night, just because it made him comfortable, he thought.

And how mortified Daryl had seemed to be when he realised that I got him that little unicorn as a gift to make him feel better, not to mock him for having weird dreams. I teamed up with Zach to get Daryl that CD, and again to be able to watch that DVD tonight.

Realising how far he had went to try and do things for Daryl, Rick felt tremendously stupid, and he thought about that one time he spent with Judith while Daryl read to her, wearing those glasses again, and how he had thought that Daryl looked cute in them.

Afterwards, he had even told Rick which song he had been whistling under his breath, and now, thinking of the lyrics, Rick realised that it could not have been a simple coincidence that his subconscious had picked Little Wing out of all the possible songs on that CD.

He tried to calm his mind for a while, looking out into the night, and he somehow managed to succeed for most of the remaining time of his watch. When Terri arrived to relieve him, he exchanged a few words with her and Heather, who appeared to have decided to keep Terri company for a while, saying that she had trouble sleeping.

Then he headed back inside and towards their common area to meet Daryl. He felt nervous on his way there, remembering that they had actually kissed each other not long ago on that very evening, and how it had made him feel.

But the last straw within his reminiscence that had him blushing up to the roots of his curly hair was how he had reacted when he had found Daryl, holding that bottle of lube in a sleeping room on that last run. Mortified, he stopped for a moment, facepalming himself with a resounding smack.

Shaking his head, he could no longer deny it – jealousy had raised its ugly head right then and there, with Rick suspecting somebody else in Daryl's life being more important to the hunter than himself.

Standing there in the hallway, he realised that what had made him angry most of all was not the possibility of Daryl having found somebody else, but the wasted opportunity to try and find out if he might be interested in himself.

Starting to walk again, Rick hurried now, the need to talk to Daryl all-encompassing, and he suddenly found himself confronted with a nervously pacing Daryl, whose head turned into Rick's direction as soon as he had stepped into the common area.

Standing rooted to the spot, Daryl appeared to be trying to read Rick's facial expression in order to find out where they stood with each other, not daring to say anything. Rick, suddenly nervous again, thrust his hands into his pockets, where his right hand found the necklace he had made for the hunter.

Remembering how he had waited for the right moment to give it to Daryl, he now thought that this might be it, and he walked over to Daryl, stopping right in front of him. "Daryl." He said, looking right into his eyes.

"Yeah?" Came the quiet reply, and Rick mentally slapped himself, thinking how hard it must have been for Daryl to wait for him here, debating if Rick would change his mind all the time he had sat in that tower. On impulse, he stepped even closer and wrapped his arms around Daryl, hugging him tight, just hoping that he would hug him back.

When he felt those strong arms being thrown around his own body, pulling him towards Daryl's chest, he sighed, feeling relieved. "Does this mean..." The hunter mumbled into Rick's shoulder.

"Daryl," Rick said, "I'm still feeling a bit at a loss here, but I think that is mostly because I have apparently been too blind to see what was right in front of me all this time."

Daryl grabbed him by the shoulders at hearing that and held Rick at arm's length to look him in the eyes. "I have been in denial myself for a while there, but I would really like to stop now."

"Daryl?" Rick whispered.

"Hm?" The hunter rumbled back.

"I got something that I want to give to you." And he pulled the necklace out of his pocket, handing it to Daryl. "I found the pendant on our last run, but had to make a cord for it, so you could wear it around your neck if you want to."

Daryl looked at Rick with a strange expression in his eyes. Then, taking the necklace from his hand, he stared at the stone for a moment. "I remember somebody telling me that obsidian is my birthstone," he said absentmindly, turning the pendant around with his fingers. "And it's an arrowhead, too."

He began to untie the cord with his deft fingers, while Rick said "Yes, that's why I thought of you when I saw it."

"Can you help me..?" Daryl asked him, and Rick took the necklace to tie it around Daryl's neck, securing it at the back. "There you go," he said when he was done, and he walked around to stand in front of Daryl again. "Oh, it really suits you!" He exclaimed, glad to have found something that looked so good on Daryl.

Embarrassed, the hunter cast his eyes down, saying quietly "Really?" Clearing his throat, he continued. "Thank you, Rick. That is real sweet of you." And he blushed, which Rick found just too adorable.

Realising that he was now able to admit that, he cautiously grabbed Daryl's chin with his fingers, forcing him to look up and at Rick. After looking him deep in the eyes for a few seconds, he asked him in a voice just above a whisper "Could you please kiss me again?"

Daryl stared at him, unblinking. Then he swallowed visibly, leaned forward a bit, with his head dipped sideways – and his lips touched Rick's for the second time during that night. Thinking how soft they felt, Rick closed his eyes and pressed his own lips to the hunter's, returning his kiss just as gently.

Daryl ended the kiss and looked at Rick, searching his face with his eyes. "So," he said, sounding determined, "this is it, then? You and me, I mean, we are..." Here, he seemed to get a little lost, but Rick was there to help him this time. "...a couple. Yes, Daryl."

* * *

And while Rick tugged at Daryl's hand to pull him into the direction of their cells, Heather stood hidden from them, trying to breathe very quietly, so Rick and Daryl would not discover her, as she did not feel like revealing to them that she had seen them kiss so tenderly and agreeing on being a couple from now on.

When they had left the common area, she silently moved on, sinking down on one of the sofas, and closed her eyes for a moment, thinking back to the romantic scene she had just witnessed, and a smile that shone brighter than the sun on a hot Georgian summer's day flashed over her face.

Sighing deeply, she felt happy to have discovered that love still existed, even in times like these.

 


	3. Somebody to Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl deal with the perks of being in a relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is a song by Queen.

During the next couple of days, both Rick and Daryl were confronted with some new things to deal with, in addition to the usual post apocalyptic issues.

Rick's first worry had been how to deal with Carl, even though his son seemed to have known about his attraction to Daryl for a longer time than he himself had. In order to talk to him, Rick went to Carl's cell but found it empty.

While he stood there, trying to decide what to do next, Daryl sneaked up on him, wrapped an arm around his waist, and put his head on Rick's shoulder. "Wanna bet he's still at Zach's?" He asked, and Rick could practicallly hear the smile in his voice.

Closing his eyes briefly, Rick sighed at the prospect to have to deal with his son's relationship already. Daryl seemed to have read his mind. "You know you don't have to do anything about it now, right?" He whispered quietly into Rick's ear. "You will eventually, sure. But for now, you could just go to breakfast."

Rick nodded, feeling strangely grounded by Daryl, his, well, boyfriend. "Daryl?" He whispered back, and after a low humming sound Daryl had uttered as an answer, Rick continued. "Do we call each other boyfriend now?" He turned around to face his partner, belatedly airquoting the term.

Daryl began to giggle, and Rick looked surprised at his ability to even produce a sound like that. But before Daryl coud answer, the sound of fast approaching footsteps reached their ears, and Rick turned around again as Carl and Zach ran up to them, both teenagers being all smiles.

"Dad! Daryl!" Carl called out, and he flung his arms around both his dad and the hunter, hugging them, while Zach stood behind him, bouncing on his feet, still beaming. "Carl," Rick said, the sound of his voice muffled due to the fact that his face was buried in Carl's clothing. "What's up with this outburst?"

Taking a step back, Carl answered "I'm just happy that you two are finally together." Zach elbowed him, and Carl smiled, correcting himself. "We, I meant to say that we are happy about you two being a couple." And he turned to Zach, who moved forward to stand next to Carl.

Rick looked at them for a moment. Then he addressed his son again. "Carl. Don't you think you've got something to tell me..?" Zach shifted his weight uncomfortably, but Carl quietly took his hand in an unmistakable manner. "Seems like you know it already, but yes, Zach and I are together."

Zach blurted out "Sir, I didn't mean to..." Rick held up a hand to stop him. "Zach. I might have been a little slow on the uptake," here, Daryl snorted audibly, and Rick shot him a deadly glare that fell short, cause Daryl just smiled at him.

After making a noise that sounded suspiciously like 'hmmmpf', Rick continued. "As I was saying. I'm happy that Carl found somebody to be with, and from what I heard, you are a decent guy. So, welcome to the family." And with that, he pulled Zach into a light hug.

Daryl and Carl beamed, while Zach looked rather shocked. "But Sir, don't you think I'm too old for Carl?" He blurted. Rick looked at him for a moment, then he said "Do you really think it matters much these days? Carl is, like what, fifteen by now? Hell, we don't even celebrate birthdays anymore." Zach gazed at Carl, who smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.

Daryl cleared his throat, and everybody looked at him. "But just so we're clear," he said, looking Zach right in the eyes, " if you break his heart, I'll personally throw you to the walkers. Got it?" Zach swallowed. "Um, I..." He started, but had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I love him, Daryl." And with that, he looked at Carl again, who leaned just a little closer and kissed him softly on the lips, right there in the hallway.

Rick heard Daryl murmur "Finally", when a couple of wolf whistles and a round of applause erupted around them. Rick, Carl and Zach blushed, looking around at the assembled crowd, while Daryl laughed quietly.

All the approaching footsteps had not escaped his notice, hunter ears always tuned to reception. He grabbed Rick's hand, interweaved their fingers, and waited for the reactions that were sure coming.

It was not the whole group that had gathered around them. Their initial core group was right up front, most of them beaming at them happily, with Glenn, Maggie and Carol wearing knowing smiles on their faces.

Beth seemed to be surprised by the development, but she still looked happy for them. Hershel was a different story, and Rick made a mental note to talk to him in private. He knew that being a believer in God had him bound to be conflicted to some degree. Still, he smiled at them, and that was all that mattered to Rick; for now at least.

Heather, who stood with Terri, was the first to actually say something. Bouncing on her feet, it seemed like she hat a difficult time to not rush forward and hug them, as she burst out saying "Oh my gosh, you guys are so cute together!" And she looked at Rick and Daryl as she said it, which caused Daryl to blush.

Rick had not finished thinking how endearing that looked when he felt himself being pulled into a hug from Daryl, who mumbled in Rick's hair "No, that's all him." Heather sqealed in delight. "See, that's what I meant. Totally cute!"

Terri chuckled. "Hm, I agree with you, but I think we are embarrassing them. So how about we all go back to our chores and breakfast and such?" She suggested, and the crowd dispersed somewhat, as Rick sent a thankful glance Terri's way. She smiled at him, nodded, and turned around to go back to her duties.

Rick turned to face Daryl. "So it's all me being cute, huh?" Daryl laughed. "Sure, didn't you know?" "Daryl Dixon," Rick fake-chastised, "are you flirting with me?" Carl and Zach shook their heads at the adults' behaviour, and Rick fleetingly thought that some things never changed, apparently, when Daryl pulled him in for a kiss.

Later on, when they had finally managed to go for breakfast, Rick turned to Zach when he suddenly remembered something. Zach still looked a little uncomfortable, and held his breath in anticipation. "You know, Zach, now that you are with my son, I really think it's time."

Rick paused here for dramatic effect, since he could not help but tease Zach a little. The teenager looked at him as if awaiting his wrath, not noticing how Carl shook his head and looked at his dad, about to tell him to back off, when Rick continued. "How about you start calling me Rick instead of Sir? It's awfully formal, don't you think?"

He grinned, as Zach's expression looked almost comical now. "Dad, stop teasing him," Carl cut in, as Daryl began to laugh. Zach shook his head. "Alright," he said, "Rick, then. But it will take some getting used to, that much I can tell you right now."

Rick pulled Zach into another hug, which is why he did not notice how Daryl stole something from his plate. More friendly bantering ensued among them, and at some point Beth dropped by with Judith in her arms.

They sat down as well, Beth joined their talk, while Judith cried for Daryl to hold her. All in all it could be considered a good start for their relationship, Daryl thought while hugging Judith to his chest, as she giggled and played with his chin scruff.

 

* * *

 

 

A couple of weeks later found Rick and Daryl still being happily together, but they had both grown a little frustrated as well. Whenever they were alone with each other, which was not too often to begin with, they got more physical.

But Daryl felt strangely shy about going much further than kisses and touching with Rick, even though he wanted to, while Rick felt the same, only for different reasons. Daryl, being the more experienced one when it came to sexual activities between two men, feared that Rick was not ready for more, whereas Rick still had the occasional trouble dealing with the fact that he was with a guy now.

They both wanted to take their makeout sessions further, but did not dare to yet. One day, when Daryl came back from a hunt with Carl and Zach, he grabbed Rick by his arm as soon as he laid eyes on him, and dragged him away from all prying eyes, heading for the room they had watched the DVD in.

Arriving there, he had to realise that it was unfit for any private talk since people had found out about it and as a result, the room was now being used on a near regular basis by all group members. Today was no different, and other people had already claimed it.

Frustrated, Daryl dragged Rick further down the hallway, wreaking his brain to come up with another room that might be unknown to most people, when Rick stopped him. "Where are we going, Daryl? What's up with you dragging me along like this?"

Daryl looked at Rick, surprised by the irritation that his words were drenched with. "We need to talk." He said simply, and made to start walking again, when Rick wrestled his arm out of Daryl's grip.

He looked at the hunter for a long moment, who looked back with a baffled expression on his face. "Daryl," Rick said, and his voice sounded strained, "are you breaking up with me?" Daryl looked scandalised and pulled Rick into a tight hug immediately. "No, Rick," he whispered into Rick's hair, "I'm sorry, ok? That's not what I meant at all."

Rick hugged him back then, holding on with a force that surprised Daryl. "Come on, we gotta find a room." Daryl said eventually, and they went along again, but found none. In the end, Daryl moved towards a fire escape to climb onto the roof, and Rick followed him up.

They sat down next to each other, and Rick waited expectantly for Daryl to tell him what was on his mind. After a moment, Daryl started talking again. "When we were hunting today, I got to talk to Zach. He asked me why I have been in such a strange mood lately. When I didn't know what he meant, he told me that I seemed frustrated to him."

Rick looked into Daryl's eyes and asked "Well, are you?" Daryl nodded, casting his eyes down. "Yeah, I guess I am. But it took me a while to figure out why." He grabbed Rick's hand and looked down at their interwoven fingers. "Rick, I'm happy that we are finally together. But aren't you missing something, too?"

Daryl looked back up at Rick and saw that he was scared. Fighting the urge to hug his partner as tight as he could and never to let go again, Daryl moved on "I meant being more, I dunno, not just kissing?" The hunter blushed and casted his eyes away, when he felt Rick's arms snaking around his body.

Moving one hand into the hunter's unruly hair, Rick pulled him closer and whispered "But I thought you like kissing..?" And with a sardonic smile, Rick leaned in and kissed Daryl full on the mouth. It took him only a few seconds to deepen the kiss further, caressing Daryl's tongue with his own in a hot exchange.

Daryl moaned softly into Rick's mouth, while his hands moved over his body, searching for a spot to slip them under his clothing. When he managed to finally touch some skin, he gasped, breaking the kiss for a moment, and looked at Rick.

"I want to go further with you, Rick. But I guess I didn't know how to talk to you about it." He said, and Rick slowly nodded. "I hate to bring this up now, but Lori always said I need to work on my communication skills..." He said and sighed deeply, rolling his eyes.

Daryl chuckled, while his hands pulled Rick back into a hug. His mouth close to Rick's ear, the hunter whispered "So what are we gonna do, huh?" He flicked his tongue out to caress the ear, and Rick moaned deeply, while he shivered and goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

"Don't stop, Daryl." He whispered, and the hunter began to pepper his neck with soft kisses. When he started to unbutton Rick's shirt, they heard someone call out for them in the prison yard, and they both groaned out in frustration.

Rick looked at Daryl and sighed. "I don't know about you, but I feel uncomfortable with having any kind of extended sexual contact in our cells." "Yeah," Daryl agreed. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then added with a grim expression "I want to have time with you, not just a quick little something between dinner and watch duty."

Rick nodded in agreement. Both men looked at each other, exchanging a final look of determination on the matter, before they both got up to go back and rejoin the group for now.

 

* * *

 

During the next couple of days, Rick had a feeling that Daryl was up to something, but could not seem to figure out what it was. Beeing the busy leader of their group made it hard for him to investigate any further though, and so he just hoped that Daryl would see fit to clue him in eventually.

Roughly a week after they had sat on the roof, discussing their predicament, Daryl did not attend breakfast, and Rick went outside to search for him. Finding his boyfriend in the car park they had assembled behind the main building, Rick was dumbfounded by the ferocity with which Daryl packed one of the cars up.

As if sensing Rick's presence, Daryl turned around. Walking towards each other, neither of the two men could break eye contact, and when they finally met, Daryl threw his arms around Rick and kissed him with such a fierce intensity, that it made Rick feel it way down to his toes.

Stepping back, Daryl gestured towards the car and said in a mocking tone "Your chariot awaits you, oh, great leader of mine." Rick laughed heartily at that, but began to walk towards the car – only to stop again after a few steps. Looking at Daryl, he asked "Wait a second, there. Where are we going? And is this what you have been preparing the last couple days?"

"Oh, you noticed that, huh?" The hunter asked, a little sheepishly. Rick smiled. "Yep, I did. For once, something important did not fly over my head." And he winked at Daryl, who laughed. "Well," he explained, "I thought we drive somewhere else for a couple days and consider it vacation of sorts."

"Hm," Rick murmured, leaning closer. Wrapping his arms around the hunter's strong built, he whispered into his ear. "Does this by any chance have something to do with us getting down and dirty..?" And he looked at Daryl again, wiggling his eyebrows.

The hunter laughed so hard, he had to wipe a few tears out of the corners of his eyes. "Man, you suck at that seductive voice thingy," he panted out, and Rick looked a little hurt. "Oh, come on, Rick," Daryl said, pulling him close again. "Don't be like that. Get in the car, a'ight?"

"Hey, wait," Rick shouted out, suddenly remembering that he did not even say goodbye to Carl and Judith. Daryl smacked his forehead. "Sorry, Rick, that was really dumb of me. Go ahead, I wait for you here." "What, you already said goodbye?"

"Yep. Did you really think I had no help planning this..?" Winking at Rick, he turned around to walk back to the car as Rick went back inside the prison, shaking his head.

 

* * *

 

Later on, when they were on their way towards a secret destination – Daryl had insisted that Rick just leant back and 'enjoyed the ride', as he called it – Rick moved his arm to rest behind Daryl's head. As his fingers began to play with Daryl's hair, he said "Wanna bet I can do better?"

"What, with that seductive voice?" Daryl asked, and as Rick nodded, his boyfriend huffed. "Pah. No way." Rick furrowed his brow. "Does that mean the bet is on?" He asked after a minute, and Daryl looked at him briefly. "Yep, you're on."

Roughly an hour later, they arrived at a small, secluded town, and Daryl drove up to a house. He got out, opened the garage, and got back into the car to drive it inside. During these times, it was always a good idea to hide first, since one could never be too careful when it came to other people that may still be around. It was better if nobody that might pass through spotted any evidence of their presence and had the chance to catch them off guard.

Even though Daryl had obviously chosen this house beforehand, they went on with their usual routine, just to be safe. After they had made sure that the rooms were still safe and clear, they got their gear from the car into the house and settled in.

Daryl suggested to eat something first, and after they had done that, both men went outside to sit around in the closed off backyard for a while. Holding hands, they looked off into the distance. "Feels weird, don't you think?" Rick said after a long while. "Hm," Daryl answered, sounding thoughtful.

"You mean, just sitting around, relaxing? Yeah, it feels totally weird." He agreed. "Wanna go for a walk?" Rick asked, but Daryl only laughed mirthlessly. "Great idea. Next thing we know, we'll be surrounded by walkers and have more action then we asked for. Thanks, but no thanks." He huffed, and Rick looked down.

"You know, Daryl," he said quietly, "I don't think I actually forget about our living conditions." He looked up at Daryl before he continued. "But I would love pretend sometimes. Don't you?" The hunter looked into Rick's eyes and nodded.

"I think I know what you mean by that. You know what I hate most about these times?" When Rick shook his head, Daryl explained "Even if I go out to hunt, I can't forget about everything else anymore, like I used to."

He looked away again as he continued. "Before the apocalypse, it was just me and the woods. Nowadays, there is added danger every which way. And it's not just us hunting anymore, those dreadful things chase our game away, on top of everything else." The hunter sounded downright annoyed at that, and Rick smiled affectionately.

"It's like some sort of sick video game," Daryl added under his breath, almost as an afterthought. "But," and here he laughed mirthlessly, "without the extra lives." Rick got up, only to sit down in Daryl's lap, facing him, which caused the hunter to look up at his partner in surprise.

"Sounds like an accurate description to me," Rick mumbled, as he leant in for a kiss. "But you know what the good thing about it is?" Daryl gaped at Rick as if he had lost his mind, while his boyfriend looked downright flirty.

Rick grinned, kissed him again and whispered into Daryl's ear. "Bonus features."

Daryl leaned away from Rick in order to be able to look into his eyes when he asked him what he meant by that, and Rick did not hesitate to explain. "You do realise that you got a few things along the way, right?"

When Daryl still stared back at him as if Rick had suddenly started to speak Korean, his boyfriend sighed. "Daryl," he tried again, "you have lots of friends now, people who admire you and your skills. You even got yourself a family, Judith, Carl – and now Zach as well."

Rick paused for a moment and looked down at the necklace, with its pendant lying on Daryl's chest. He touched it cautiously with his fingertips, as if trying to draw strength from the stone it was made of, before he all but whispered "And me, you know. Somebody to love."


	4. Love Me Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl take their relationship to the next level. Well. Sorta. Finally? Oh, go see for yourself...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and let me know what you think :)

Daryl looked up into Rick's handsome face, unable to tear his eyes away. His hands began to roam Rick's body, seemingly on their own volition, as he whispered to him. "Rick." When his boyfriend looked up from Daryl's chest and into his eyes, Daryl continued. "Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?" Rick blushed, suddenly feeling shy, and answered "Really?"

Not wanting to risk to scare his partner away, Daryl tried hard to resist the urge to roll his hips into Rick's, so he could feel his hardening length through their pants, in order to show him just how much, and said "Yes, really."

He caressed Rick's jaw with his hand, moving his thumb through the stubble there, before he brushed it over Rick's plump, pink lips. 'So kissable'; afterwards, he could not recall if he had said that out loud or not, but the next thing he knew was that his mouth connected with those remarkable lips in a searing kiss.

Moaning into each others mouths, both men got lost in the intensity for a few minutes, touching each other with a newfound ferocity. When Rick leaned back to look at his flustered boyfriend, Daryl cleared his throat.

"How about we go inside?" He suggested, looking a little awkward, unsure what Rick would say. "What, and make out in broad daylight?" Rick winked at Daryl and moved to get up, when he suddenly looked puzzled and froze in his movement.

Bewildered, Daryl waited for Rick to tell him what had caused this stop. "Daryl?" Rick looked at him, his whole face a question. "You got something in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Daryl blushed so deeply that Rick thought his face had caught on fire.

Daryl was frozen in his movements, he could not reveal his secret, as he watched Rick's questioning stare in horror, waiting for him to do something to try and pull the truth out of Daryl.

In the end, Rick cautiously put his hand in Daryl's pocket, all the while watching his face closely in case the hunter would object. But Daryl just observed as Rick pulled the little unicorn out. The look on Rick's face was priceless.

"You carried that around the whole time?" He managed, after a long moment of silence. Daryl could only nod, since he did not trust his voice yet, while he silently cursed himself for not taking the little plush toy out of his clothes.

What he had not anticipated was the smile that slowly crept over Rick's face, until it shone brighter than the sun. His boyfriend got up, unicorn still firm in his grasp, and pulled Daryl with him into a standing position.

"Come on, let's head inside," he said, tugging at his hand, and Daryl followed him all too willingly. After securing the doors, Rick and Daryl went into the living room, both too shy to make a beeline for the bedroom, and sat down on the sofa.

Very close to each other already, Daryl pulled Rick into a rib cracking hug and nestled his mouth into the collar of Rick's shirt, breathing in deeply. Rick closed his eyes and hummed in contentment, while his hands started to explore the hunter's back. Daryl kissed his boyfriend's neck, then went on to his ear, nibbling it softly, with his breath tickling, which caused Rick to laugh quietly.

Their mouths found each other again in a kiss that started out soft, but got more heated by the second, until Daryl all but assaulted Rick's mouth. Completely out of breath, Rick pulled back for a second, but a break was the last thing on Daryl's mind by then, and he started to unbutton Rick's shirt.

Rick went along with it, but Daryl sensed a strange bit of hesitancy in him and called Rick out on it. Casting his eyes down, Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, Daryl." He said, sounding lost, "I guess it takes some getting used to still."

"What," Daryl asked, "being with a guy?" When Rick nodded reluctantly, Daryl prodded further. "Or maybe you don't know what to expect and – Rick?" He looked at him in a surprised manner, and Rick looked right back. "Yeah?" He said, and Daryl voiced his suspicion. "Are you scared?"

Rick abruptly made to get up off the sofa, but was too tangled up in Daryl's limbs to do so. "Hey," Daryl said while he tried to prevent Rick from hurting himself in the process, "it's ok, a'ight? Geez, Rick."

Daryl managed to convince Rick to stay in his embrace for a while longer, and so he held on tight to him. With his mouth close to Rick's ear, Daryl whispered that he did not have to do anything he did not feel like doing. When he felt Rick nod in the affirmative, Daryl let go of a relieved sigh.

"How about we eat and just go to bed early?" Daryl said, and he clamped his mouth shut before he could add some suggestion about cuddling, because, Dixon's do not do that. Right afterwards though, he shook his head and laughed, since he realised that he would do anything with Rick. Even cuddling.

Of course, his little outburst did not go unnoticed, and he told Rick about it while they stood in the kitchen, trying to prepare a meal. Rick chuckled, then went on to hug Daryl from behind, nuzzling his neck, and he peppered it with kisses as well.

Daryl managed to turn around in Rick's embrace to kiss him deep and thoroughly, just to get the point across. Apparently, he did succeed, too, cause Rick looked him in the eyes afterwards and said "I, hm – I love you too, Daryl." He sounded a little dazed, but Daryl did not notice that.

Hearing Rick say those words out loud first rendered Daryl speechless. He looked at Rick for the longest time, in an attempt to convey all his feelings to him. Only their rumbling stomachs ended this nonverbal exchange, and they sat down to eat.

"You know what I miss most these days? Especially now, while we are away from the prison?" Rick asked him after a while of companionable silence, and Daryl shrugged his shoulders, waiting for his boyfriend to answer his own question. "The possibility to call my family."

Daryl looked thoughtful. Then he grasped Rick's hand over the table in a reassuring manner. "I think I know what you mean. Would be nice to call and talk to Lil' Asskicker and Carl, make sure they are alright."

Rick nodded, and Daryl smiled at him. He got up, walked around the table and stood beneath Rick, grabbed his shoulders to turn him around, then hugged him to himself, with Rick's head resting on the hunter's stomach.

With his hand entangled in Rick's curls, Daryl hummed in content, and it seemed to have a soothing effect on Rick as well. After a long moment like this, Daryl pulled Rick up and kissed him. "I'll go walk the perimeter for a bit, if that's ok with you." He said, looking at Rick.

"Daryl," he answered, looking worried, "I would feel better if we'd go together." "But..." The hunter started, but Rick cut right in. "Don't you start trying to protect me like that, Daryl Dixon, you hear?" Looking caught, Daryl gave Rick a half smile.

Minutes later found them both on their way around the house for a quick check up. Not finding any signs that would have hinted at the possibility of other people being close by, Rick went back inside, closely followed by Daryl, and they barred the door for the night.

The master bedroom was located under the roof, so Rick and Daryl tracked up the stairs with their weapons in tow, just in case. They bustled around for a while, both of them suddenly feeling nervous of spending the night together in a house all by themselves and, hopefully, undisturbed.

Even though that had been the plan all along, now that it was actually about to happen, their old insecurities popped back to the surface.

Both men went to bed in their underwear, wearing shirts as well, and Daryl pulled Rick into a hug as soon as their heads had hit the pillows. Even though Daryl had given this small vacation a lot of thought in an attempt to make it as perfect as possible, now that he finally had Rick in his bed, so to speak, he was feeling at a loss as to what to do or how to proceed from there.

"Daryl?" Rick whispered, and the hunter rumbled a reply to let him know that he was listening. "You really thought all this through, didn't you?" Rick asked. "Are you talking about some particular detail?" Daryl asked back, and Rick nodded. "Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, you did a great job with everything. But I noticed that you got the window covered real good in this room, so we could leave a light on."

Daryl felt caught, and Rick must have noticed some change in the hunter's posture. "It's ok, Daryl. I like it, alright?" Rick said while he turned around to face the hunter, who looked relieved. "Good," he said, "because I did that so I would be able to see you."

Daryl leaned in to steal a kiss or two, and Rick was not about to deny him that. Many kisses later, Daryl had an idea and asked Rick a question, with the thought of taking things further clearly in mind. "Rick, can I ask you a question?" "Sure, Daryl." Rick answered, looking at Daryl expectantly. "Is there anything you would like to try or do, you know, like something you never did before?"

Rick looked a little confused at first, but caught up quickly. "You mean, sex-wise?" Daryl nodded, and Rick got quiet for a couple of minutes, clearly thinking about it. When he finally thought about something, it was written all over his face, but when Daryl asked him again, Rick blushed a deep crimson red and tried to hide his face from Daryl.

Shaking his head and thinking that they might never get any further if this was how things would move onwards, Daryl was about ready to pull his hair out. Or grab Rick by the shoulders to shake an answer out of him.

"I'm sorry, Daryl," Rick whispered, correctly asserting the hunter's reaction. Taking a deep breath and his mind firmly set on being courageous, Rick told Daryl about his former relationships. There had not been that many to begin with, as Daryl had rightly assumed, and Rick described his former sex life as average, all in all.

"You know," he told Daryl, "I always wondered what the fuss was all about, especially with blow jobs. Never got one that was as earth-shattering as everyone always said they are..." Daryl felt like he might hyperventilate any second now when he heard that.

Not sure as to what to do or how to react to what his boyfriend had just revealed to him, but his whole body trying to spring into action to prove Rick wrong right then and there, Daryl felt caught between a rock and a hard place.

"Daryl?" Rick whispered, clearly confused, "Did I say something weird?" The hunter kissed him slowly but thoroughly, then looked at Rick for a moment before he answered. "No, not weird. More like sad, if anything, really. Can I ask you something else, though?" Rick nodded, and Daryl took a deep breath.

"I would love to prove you wrong on that, if you let me. Rick, can I please blow you?" He looked at Rick in his most sincere way, while his boyfriend openly gaped at him. "You..." Rick started, but had to clear his throat before he was able to continue. "You mean that you actually like doing that to another guy?"

With his partner being so incredulous about it, Daryl took his chances to convince him via actions instead of words.

He sat up in bed to shed his shirt, then pulled Rick up to undress him as well. Seeing the heat in Daryl's eyes made Rick moan in anticipation, and their lips connected again in a fiery kiss. Daryl moved his hands all over Rick's body, hungry to touch him, and he moved down to tease his nipples after their kissing had stopped for a moment.

He licked the nubs to hardness, pinching one with his hand while sucking on the other at the same time, eliciting moans from Rick that he had never heard before. Smiling to himself, Daryl moved his mouth further down, leaving open mouthed kisses in his wake, he alternated them with small bites that he soothed over with his tongue.

Soon, Rick was a writhing mess in the sheets, with his eyes closed and his hands tangled in Daryl's hair. When Daryl removed his underwear, Rick looked down at him and saw the expression on Daryl's face when he layed eyes on Rick's proud erection for the first time.

It would have rendered Rick speechless, if he had not passed that point a while ago already, and he tried to keep on watching. Daryl licked his lips in anticipation, grabbed Rick's cock and started to stroke it slowly, while he licked a bead of pre-cum off the head. His eyes fluttered shut, and a moan escaped his mouth, as he pressed his lips to the tip of Rick's length, ready to engulf the hardness with his hot lips.

Rick's head hit the pillow hard, as he could no longer watch what was happening without suffering a stroke. He moaned uncontrollably, and Daryl thought fleetingly that he must be on the right path, then his coherent thinking took a temporary leave of absence.

Bowing down on Rick's cock, Daryl used all his considerable skill to make him feel good, taking him in as deep as he could, one hand still holding on to the base to cover the part he could not reach with his mouth.

He varied with tending to the bulging head that leaked something fierce by now, while his hand stroked the length from base to tip in harsh, but loving movements. Daryl licked and lapped at Rick's cock, moaning himself now, turned on beyond measure.

Daryl's moaning around his cock was a sensation that Rick did not know how to deal with, and his eyes flew open in shock. He sat up, and Daryl looked at him, confused. When Rick saw Daryl's eyes, he knew for sure that his boyfriend was enjoying his actions just as much as Rick himself, as the pupils were blown wide with lust, the usual sky blue nearly invisible.

"You ok?" Daryl murmured, his voice coming out gravelly, and he never stopped his stroking. Rick could only nod, and Daryl thought for a moment. With his mind made up, he let go of Rick's hard-on, got off the bed and made Rick sit on the side of it, so his feet hit the floor, while Daryl kneeled between his legs.

He resumed his work on Rick's cock, picking up his pace so he could find out how his boyfriend looked like when he came undone, while he thrust his hand down his own briefs to grab his aching cock, and started to jerk it hard.

Now moaning near constantly around Rick's hard length in his mouth, the ex-cop's orgasm was on the horizon, and a deep throating coupled with Daryl's other hand fondling Rick's tight balls made him shoot his load down Daryl's throat, screaming his name to the ceiling.

Daryl swallowed every last drop while he came hard all over his own hand, moaning Rick's name as well. After catching his breath for a minute, he cleaned the mess up and crawled back into bed, where Rick layed as if he had not moved at all.

Chuckling, Daryl wrapped his spent boyfriend up in his arms and pulled him into a position that would enable him to sleep comfortably. He kissed Rick slowly on the mouth, and sighed when he kissed him back. He pulled away to grab the sheets and threw them over himself and Rick, who looked at him in wonder.

"Ok, I get it now. You do like it." Rick said, shaking his head before he continued. "A. Lot." And he swatted his boyfriend playfully just to tease him a little. "Yep. But I just found that I like it most when I'm doing it to somebody I love." They kissed each other deeply until they fell asleep, holding on to the other throughout the night.


	5. The Night Before (Love Me Do Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick and Daryl are finally sealing their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. My first ever storyline, finally finished. I am a little sad, but also very proud that I pulled it off. A big Thank You goes out to everyone who read this, set a bookmark, gave kudos or commented.  
> And to pharmtechgirl71, who first told me that this is worth publishing, I love you, girl, thanks bunches for giving me that nudge out the virtual door!

They spent the next day being almost as lazy as the one before, but at some point Daryl got restless and went to hunt, whereas Rick stayed inside to read for a while.

When he had enough after some time had passed, Rick climbed the stairs and went into the small attic. His plan was to look through the many boxes the former occupants had stacked there, and afterwards he wanted to keep a lookout over the surrounding area.

The boxes held the usual clutter of assorted things, stuff that was either not needed anymore and still too good to be thrown out, or strictly tied to certain holidays and such.

Rick had a good laugh about the accumulated kitsch in the boxes designated to Christmas, even though he missed the old days sometimes.

Among all that stuff he had found a few useful things and put them aside to take when he went back down, but for now, he moved to the window to peer outside.

Careful at first, since one could never be too careful these days, but he relaxed a little after he found everything to be as quiet as could be expected.

He got out and climbed over the fire escape to try and find a spot to sit down. Once he had found it, he had a good overview over the surrounding area.

Not for the first time, he thought about he group's future, and he made a mental note to talk to Daryl about it. Knowing the hunter, he had already given some considerable amount of thought to the matter.

Rick chuckled, when he realised yet again how well they knew each other.

If he were to ask the hunter to search the village for toddler stuff for Judith before they drove back to the prison, he would most likely get angry and tell him off, for assuming he had not already done that.

Rick's thoughts returned to the Night before then, and a shiver of excitement run through his entire body.

He remembered how much he had liked the encounter with Daryl, and how mistaken he had been in hindsight – about blow jobs, among other things. God, he thought, I really hope that we'll do more stuff like that while we're here.

After one last look around, Rick went back to the window and climbed into the attic. These actions made him realise that his trip down memory lane had left him with a reminder of just how much he had liked thinking back to last night, and Rick wiggled around to adjust his equipment.

He grabbed the stuff from the attic he had put aside for them to use and went back down to put it in the car. Afterwards, he laid down on the sofa, absentmindly rubbing his erection through his pants, and dreamed about Daryl some more, wishing he would be back already.

He must have dozed off at some point, because he woke up to a knock at the door.

Getting up, Rick made sure to move quietly, since he had no idea how long he had slept, so it could theoretically be someone other than Daryl – even if the knock had sounded like the sequence they had agreed on as their secret sign.

Peering through the window, machete in hand, Rick saw his partner waiting, what was left of the animal he had obviously caught clutched in his bloody hands.

Suddenly, Rick had to think how it appeared as if Daryl was some weird kind of modern caveman, bringing back game for his mate, waiting for him at home, and he laughed heartily as he opened the door to a surprised Daryl.

"What got you in such a good mood?" He asked, and Rick tried to sober up before he answered with a simple "You".

Daryl leant forward and kissed Rick full on the mouth, his bloody hands held carefully away. In between kisses, he whispered to Rick "Damn, I missed you." Rick sighed happily, and Daryl's kisses became more urgent.

Snuggling closer to Daryl, Rick's hard-on rubbed against the hunter's, and Rick feared to hear some snide remark about it, but Daryl only growled "Get back inside," even though Rick was the one of them who, technically, was inside already.

The moment Rick had stepped back, Daryl moved in, got rid of the meat in the kitchen and scrubbed his hands while Rick barricaded the door.

The hunter stepped up behind Rick, wrapped his arms around him and whispered into his ear "Bedroom?" Rick only nodded, and the men went upstairs hand in hand. Daryl tackled Rick down on the bed and rolled them around a few times.

Coming to a halt with Rick underneath himself, Daryl asked his boyfriend a little breathlessly if he had gotten the hard-on when he came back or earlier, and Rick blushed as he turned his head to the side, whispering "Both".

"Gawd, Rick," Daryl moaned, "that is sexy as fuck, you know that?" The hunter began to rub his own erection through his clothing, and Rick's breath hitched. "Daryl," he whispered, "would you take your clothes off for me?"

The hunter nodded, wrapped Rick up into his arms and kissed him again hungrily. Rick lost himself into the kiss, and when Daryl ended it to get up and undress, Rick let out a soft little moan of disappointment.

Daryl smiled at him while he got up to take his vest off first, followed closely by the shirt. The ex-cop watched him with bated breath and undivided attention. Daryl pulled off his boots, followed by the socks and reached for his belt next.

When he opened it and proceeded to deal with his cargos, Rick moved towards the edge of the bed and watched as the hunter came to stand in front of him in all his naked glory.

Still, Rick could not help but to snort, and Daryl looked at him awaiting an explanation.

"Daryl Dixon, going commando again." Rick shook his head, then plodded on. "You know, I honestly don't think that you only do that for lack of garments..." Daryl chuckled, but got serious again soon after, as he grabbed his hard-on and began to stroke it slowly.

He looked at Rick, a question in his eyes, and the ex-cop understood. As he inched forward some more, he tentatively opened his mouth, and Daryl briefly closed his eyes, moaning in anticipation.

He guided the head of his cock between Rick's lucious lips and watched with bated breath as Rick cautiously began to suck on his hard length, eyes closed in concentration. The hunter ran his fingers through Rick's curly hair, but he made sure to not put any pressure on his lover's head.

After a while, Rick got more confident, and he wrapped a hand around Daryl's cock while he sucked at the head, playing around with his tongue as well, which made Daryl groan with pleasure.

"Rick," he whispered, "such a pretty sight." But Rick actually tried to answer, giving Daryl a humming sound that vibrated around his hard-on, an additional stimulation that Rick clearly had not anticipated.

He looked up at Daryl with his crystal blue eyes wide open in wonder, as the hunter's head fell back and a loud moan poured from his throat. Gazing down into Rick's eyes, Daryl thought he might loose it right then and there.

They shared a long look of pure want, and Daryl voiced his feelings. "Do you have any idea how much I want you, Rick?" He asked, and Rick pulled off for a moment, while his hand kept pumping. "I think I just might," he answered, a cheeky grin on his face, and Daryl snickered.

"Yeah, maybe you do," he gave back with a thoughtful tone. "But what do you want? Cause I gotta admit," the hunter breathed, "I'd love to fuck you. You up for that?"

Rick got up off the bed, letting go of Daryl's erection in the process, and stood pressed up to his lover, wrapping his arms around him. Daryl wasted no time to hug Rick as close to himself as possible and kissed him long and passionately.

Soon enough, Daryl began to unbutton Rick's shirt. He dragged it off his body and pulled the t-shirt off as well. As soon as Rick's upper body was naked, Daryl's hands began to roam all over it.

He playfully tugged at the chest hair, tweaked Rick's nipples teasingly, and Rick gasped into Daryl's mouth.

The hunter pulled away and stepped back in order to get Rick out of his pants as well, and the ex-cop helped him eagerly, unable to wait much longer. When they were both finally fully naked, Daryl moaned longingly and nuzzled Rick's neck.

Rick smiled nervously, and as soon as Daryl saw that, he whispered "I love you, Rick. You know that, right?" He locked eyes with his lover, and Rick nodded. "Am I right to assume you got some lube around, then?" He asked, blushing as he thought back to the incident on that run.

Daryl laughed, his mind obviously wandering down the same memory lane. "Yeah," he gave back, and suggested for Rick to lie down while he got the bottle out of a drawer in the bedside table. When Daryl sank down onto the bed next to Rick, his boyfriend asked him "So how will you be doing this?"

"Probably a good idea to do it from between your legs, so we can see each other," Daryl answered, and Rick rolled on his back. Daryl moved to kneel between his bent legs, lubing up his fingers as he went.

Bringing them down onto Rick's tight hole, he began to carefully massage it, and said "You know what helps a lot to make this easier?"

Rick moaned while he shook his head, and Daryl slowly bowed his head down. "A distraction." He stated, and took Rick's length into his mouth.

His eyes rolling right into the back of his head, Rick moaned loudly as Daryl worked his magic again, sucking and licking while he kept on working at his lover's back entrance at the same time.

Soon enough, he breached the hole with the first finger, while he paid special attention to the leaking head of Rick's cock. His tactics paid off, as Rick did not tense up, but pushed himself on Daryl's finger instead, groaning from all the sensations flooding his body.

Feeling high on the trust his lover obviously had in his actions, Daryl began to wiggle his finger around a bit, then, when he felt that little hole give way some, he pushed it deeper inside, only to pull it out again.

Setting up a steady rhythm, Daryl added another finger soon and alternated his moves between fingering and scissoring, so Rick would eventually be able to take his hard length.

Daryl moaned when he thought about that, and he moved away from Rick's cock up his body so he could kiss him deeply. Rick had begun to steadily push himself down on Daryl's fingers, and as he opened his eyes now, the pupils were blown wide with lust.

"Daryl," he all but whispered, "I want you. Please." "Gawd, Rick," the hunter pulled his fingers out, quickly wiped them with some kleenex, then kneeled between Rick's legs again, lubing his cock up.

Rick watched him and moaned, turned on by the sexy sight. Daryl grabbed his lover's feet and propped his legs up on his broad shoulders, lined himself up and cautiously pushed the head of his cock inside of Rick.

Waiting for any sight of discomfort, Daryl watched his lover like a hawk, but Rick urged him on, lost in the overwhelming sensations. The hunter pushed forward, closing his eyes when he realised how good the hot tightness felt around his cock.

Loosing himself for a few seconds, he thrust into Rick's ass several times, only snapping back to attention when Rick groaned his name. Daryl put Rick's legs down on the bed and leaned forward, bending over his lover to kiss him. When they pulled away from the kiss, both men locked eyes with each other in a silent promise full of love.

Daryl leaned up a bit, bracing his impressive arms left and right of Rick's head, picking up the pace with which he fucked him, and Rick ran his hands up and down those biceps and shoulders.

When Daryl felt like he might burst any minute, he got up again with Rick's legs thrown over his shoulders, pumping furiously inside of him, trying to find that special spot.

He changed the angle just a bit and knew he had hit it, as Rick arched off the bed, a shout of 'oh my god' on his perfectly shaped lips. Daryl made sure to hit that spot again and again as he felt his own orgasm looming on the horizon.

Suddenly, Rick's cock eruped in hot spurts of cum shooting all over his taunt stomach, his face a picture of pure bliss, as Daryl lost himself inside of him. After riding out his orgasm, Daryl pulled out and laid down next to Rick, gasping for air.

Then, as if on some kind of gravitational pull, both men turned towards each other and hugged in a messy tangle of limbs, whispering sweet nothings and everythings into the other's ear, only interrupted by passionate kisses.

* * *

 

Rick and Daryl had fallen asleep afterwards, but the hunter was up after some time and went to prepare the meat he had caught in the backyard. Eventually, Rick came outside as well, and they cooked the contents of some cans that they had found in the kitchen with the meat.

After they had eaten, they sat around the fire, holding hands. Daryl sensed an uneasiness in Rick, and he asked him about it. Rick told him that he was unable to shake a feeling that he could not quite pin down.

They talked about the group and their future at the prison for a while, and it became clear that Rick had been right about Daryl, as the hunter had indeed put some thought into the matter already.

"Don't get me wrong, Daryl," Rick said thoughtfully, "I love what you've done here to make our get-away really good. But I just feel too, I dunno, out in the open? Does that make sense?" He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, but Daryl nodded.

"I think I get what you mean. But the prison won't work forever, either." "Hm," Rick agreed, "you know what I would like?"

Daryl looked at his partner, caressing his jaw with his thumb, and smiled. "Live in a little house at the coast and be a fisherman?" Rick burst into laughter at that ridiculous thought, but he sobered up pretty soon after.

Shaking his head, he said "No, maybe not the coast. But remember our trouble finding a spot within the prison grounds to have some alone time?" When Daryl nodded vigorously, Rick continued.

"I would just love to live in a house with you and the kids, like, in a close community." "Hm," Daryl murmured. "I think you've just answered your own question. A housing development."

Rick looked excited. "Yes! One of those surrounded by walls, that we could reinforce, maybe. But that way, people could live in their own houses and still be there for each other, protecting the complex together."

Later that night, after they had done several rounds and checked their surroundings from the roof as well, the men lay in bed together, wrapped around each other, when Daryl spoke up.

"You want to go back." It was a statement rather than a question, and Rick took it as a sign for how well the hunter knew him by now – as a fellow survivor, group member and lover. "Yes, I'm worried about the others, but especially Judith and Carl."

"And Zach," Daryl added, thereby admitting that he had feelings like that as well, which made Rick hug the living shit out of him. Laughing, Daryl waved his hands in the air "I give up, just stop it already, you hug monster, you!"

Rick joined the hunter's laughter, and when they had calmed down somewhat, he leaned towards Daryl's ear and whispered "I love you so much, Daryl."

Blushing, the hunter hugged Rick with a fierceness that bordered on desperation, and whispered back "I love you, too. Never wanna loose you, Rick, now that I finally got ya."

* * *

 

They fell asleep after exchanging lots of kisses, and woke up in the morning, gathered all their stuff and packed the car up. After a last scan of the surroundings from the roof, Daryl decided for them to take a different route back, just to avoid any walkers that might have been attracted on their journey to their honeymoon suite, apocalypse style.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think, comments are much appreciated.


End file.
